The Green Guardians were founded by Loran Malsilver, a dwarven cleric of Shaskal Torin, a few months after the Day of Green Smoke (see page 9). The declared aim of the organisation was to keep Marchion free, but everyone knew that the main aim was to keep it free from the return of magocracy. As a result, relations between the Guardians and the arcane spellcasters of the city were somewhat strained for many years.
The name of the group was chosen to commemorate the Day of Green Smoke, but most people accept that the Green Guardians did not exist at that point, and thus had nothing to do with the disaster. A few conspiracy theorists are unconvinced, and try to dig up evidence implicating Loran or her allies. So far, they have discovered nothing.
Loran died about a century after the Day of Green Smoke, by which time most people had forgotten their hostility to the magocracy. As a result, her successors turned the Guardians to a more general defence of the city, and began accepting arcane spellcasters as members. There is even talk of admitting non-spellcasters, although as they would not qualify for the prestige class such a decision would probably require the creation of a new class. No-one in the organisation at present is capable of such a feat.
Joining the Green Guardians
It is relatively easy to join the Green Guardians. While Marchion is quite a large city, it is not so over-supplied with spellcasters of fifth level and above that the Guardians have to turn qualified applicants away. A candidate need merely present herself to the governing council, and declare her willingness to defend the liberty of the city.
The governing council then considers the application. Their decision has to be unanimous, but this has not yet been a problem. (The first admission of an arcane spellcaster was, reputedly, controversial, however.) The councillors consider the candidate's history, and if there is no sign of evil behaviour or of a desire to take over the city, and she has made at least some attempt to defend it at some point, the application is approved. Almost any player character who applies, qualifies.
The candidate must then swear an oath to defend the freedom of the city. This oath is not magically enforced, but the Green Guardians make bad enemies for a spellcaster. It is worth noting that the Green Guardians do not swear loyalty to the mayor or city council. The organisation was founded around the same time as the current council, and Loran intended it to guard against tyranny from that direction as well.
Organisation
The Green Guardians is a small organisation, with only a couple of dozen members. More than half are clerics, with a handful of arcane spellcasters and a pair of druids making up the numbers. Such a small group, living in one city, needs little in the way of formal organisation. The governing council is made up of the three longest-serving members of the group. At present these are Lessire Hantaral, a male elven cleric of Merianath Thousand-Eyes, Gundal Caltarna, a male dwarven cleric of Plianna, and Tindallion Pastraneima Tempieth, a female gnomish cleric of Shaskal Torin. The other members of the group have noticed that the governing council is almost bound to, eventually, be dominated by elves, and there is some pressure for change.
However, this pressure is reduced by the fact that the council does very little. The Green Guardians played a central role in the defeat of Lovyaerel Tsindareth, and the wizard who unmasked the elf was the first arcane spellcaster to be accepted into the group. Other than that, there have been few threats to the city's freedom in the last couple of centuries. The Green Guardians have thus been free to follow their own interests, and to deal with smaller threats to the city as they come up. All members are still expected to answer a call to arms issued by the governing council, but few expect it to happen.
Activities
Individual Green Guardians have a great deal of freedom in what they do. They are expected to devote a significant part of their attention to defending the freedom of Marchion, but may choose their own methods. Any Green Guardian who seems to be neglecting the city is expelled from the organisation, and unable to gain any further levels in the prestige class until readmitted. Expulsions are few, however, as the council only admits people who are naturally inclined to go around doing heroic things.
Green Guardians In Crisis
The Green Guardians fail quite badly when faced with the crisis in Marchion. The tensions over the inevitable predominance of the longer-lived races on the council boils over, and the group splits along essentially racial lines.
If one of the player characters is a Green Guardian, she may attempt to do something about this. Because the group is so small, it is actually practical to go and talk to each member individually, and convince him to work with members of other races. This will probably require changing the rules for membership of the governing council, which requires the agreement of the current members. A change which only takes effect on their death or retirement is probably going to be easiest.
If the Green Guardians can be united and convinced to take a public stand against racism, this subtracts one point from each phobia for every week that their stand continues.
Prestige Class
It is still true that most members of the Green Guardians are clerics, and that most of them are clerics of Herath, Plianna, and Shaskal Torin. However, there are a few arcane spellcasters as members of the group, and even a couple of druids.
Hit die: d6
Requirements
Alignment: Any non-evil.
Skills: Concentration 4 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks.
Feats: Alertness (from familiar acceptable), Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
Spellcasting: Ability to cast dispel magic.
Special: Member of the Green Guardians (see above).
Class Skills: Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (any), Listen (Wis), Scry (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis)
Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier per level.
Weapon Proficiencies: Green Guardians gain no weapon proficiencies and no armor proficiencies.
Special Abilities
Lore: Green Guardians pick up lots of bits of information during their studies in Marchion. They may make rolls as bards to know odd bits of information, using Int modifier + class level. Levels in Spellguard stack with levels in other classes giving similar abilities.
Spell Casting: Each level of Green Guardian adds one level to spell-casting ability in a previously possessed class. This must be a class in which the character had access to dispel magic. If there is more than one such class, the character may choose at each level which class gets the bonus.
Spell Mastery: All Green Guardians have mastered dispel magic. Thus, they can prepare it without access to a spellbook. This is only of benefit to wizardly members.
General Counterspell: From first level, the Green Guardian may use any spell of the same school and of higher level to counterspell a given spell. She may still use the same spell in counterspelling.
Spellcraft bonus: Green Guardians receive special training in recognising different kinds of magic. At first level, they get a +1 bonus to all uses of Spellcraft. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses. At third level, this bonus increases to +2, and to +3 at fifth level.
Improved Dispel: At second level, the Green Guardian adds 2 to all caster level checks to dispel spells. At fourth level this bonus increases to +4.
Spontaneous Counterspell: From second level, the Green Guardian need no longer ready an action in order to counterspell. Instead, she may choose to counterspell when a spell is cast. This replaces her next action.
Greater Counterspell: From third level, the Green Guardian may use any spell of the same school of equal or higher level to counterspell another spell.
Dispel magic conversion: From third level, Green Guardians can convert any prepared spell of third level of higher (fourth level or higher for druidic spellguardians) into dispel magic, just as clerics may convert spells to cure spells.
Free Counterspell (Ex): At fourth level, a Green Guardian may counterspell as a free action, as long as she has an appropriate spell available.
Ability Counter (Su): At fifth level the Green Guardian gains the supernatural ability to counterspell spell-like abilities as if they were spells. Only spell-like abilities may be countered in this way.
| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | +1 level spell casting, Lore, Spell mastery, General Counterspell, +1 spellcraft |
| 2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | +1 level spell casting, Spontaneous Counterspell, +2 dispel checks |
| 3 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | +1 level spell casting, Greater Counterspell, dispel magic conversion, +2 spellcraft |
| 4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 level spell casting, Free Counterspell, +4 dispel checks |
| 5 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 level spell casting, Ability Counter, +3 spellcraft |